A Melbourne mural of US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has made international headlines.

The painting, which depicts Mrs Clinton in a revealing, stars-and-stripes swimsuit made news around the world after it was deemed offensive.

The creator of the painting, a street artist who goes by the name Lushsux and who has also painted murals of the likes of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and celebrity Kim Kardashian, branded the calls to remove it "pathetic".

The provocative mural was displayed on the wall of a small business in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, and reports have said the business had been asked by the local Maribyrnong Council to remove it.